My Christmas Bell
by Grounders10
Summary: At the age of ten Ranma discovers the meaning of christmas and sets himself onto a new path in Nerima. It all started with one little, silver, bell.


-1_**My Christmas Bell**_

_**A Ranma ½ Polar Express Crossover**_

_**By: Grounders10**_

_**Disclaimer: I own neither Ranma ½ or the Polar Express.**_

_**--Break--**_

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_**--Break--**_

_**Prologue**_

_**--Break--**_

Ranma stared at the roof of the tent as he tried to go to sleep. A loud rumble filled the tent as his father let out a loud snore. The ten year old rolled his eyes and sighed. This was why he hated winter. During spring, summer, and early fall they slept outside unless it was raining. This meant that Ranma could be as far as he possibly could be from his father's snoring.

With another sigh he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, trying to catch what sleep he could. His eyes were not closed long before another rumble started. It grew slowly, from barely a squeak to a thunderous roar so loud it shook the ground, causing him and his father to bounce on their futons. Pulling himself out of his sleeping bag Ranma shivered in the cold air of the tent. A loud scream of brakes and whistles caused him to jump as a large shadow to appear on the outside of the tent.

Pulling on the thin jacket that his father had given him a week earlier he opened the flap of the tent and poked his head out. Mouth agape with shock and surprise he looked up, and up, and even further up as he took in the sight before him.

Where before there had been no tracks in this section of the woods there was now a massive steam engine pulling what appeared to be a dozen passenger cars. Old and antiquated passenger cars that looked like they had been built in the 1930's. A door on the nearest passenger car, which was barely two meters away from the tent, popped open and a middle-aged man stepped down.

The man was dressed like any other railroad conductor. Blue dress jacket and pants along with the usual blue conductors hat. He smiled at the black haired boy as he stepped out of the tent. With a brilliant smile that showed a set of gleaming white teeth he asked, "Are you coming?"

Ranma cocked his head quizzically, like a dog, or even a cat would when confused. "Coming? Where?" He asked.

"Why the North Pole of course." The Conductor said before gesturing to the train in a grandiose manner, "This is the POLAR EXPRESS!" He shouted.

Deciding that he had to be dream Ranma smiled and said, "I'll come." Following the conductor he entered the train.

_**--Break--**_

Ranma's memory after entering that train was somewhat fragmented at best, with him only being able to remember images of people and places, a handful of names and sentences. Little did he know that one conversation would change his entire future. He couldn't remember much of it, just a few words, a face, and a name. It went something like this:

_Ranma sat on one of the benches that filled the train. They were rather comfortable with their padded seats and back. He stared out the window and watched the trees pass by until a small voice interrupted him. Looking away from the window he turned towards the voice. It was a girl, about his age with short blue hair._

_ "Hi." She said shyly, "My names Akane Tendo. What's your?" She asked._

_ "Ranma. Ranma Saotome." Ranma replied as the girl sat next to him._

_ "Where are you from?" She asked._

_ "Um…" He paused. He didn't know where he was from actually. His father always kept them moving around, learning as many martial arts techniques as he could. "I don't know." He admitted._

_ Surprise showed on the girl's face. "You don't know? How come?" She asked._

_ "Pops keeps us moving around a lot." He said sadly, "It's so annoying. Recently he's moved us so many times I haven't even had a chance to make any friends."_

_ "Well…" Akane said slowly, "I'd like to be your friend." She extended her small hand towards him._

_ He smile back and shook it with his own small hand. "I'd like that. Friends forever right? Even if we don't see each other after tonight?"_

_ "Yep." The smile the girl gave was bright and wide enough to outshine all the stars in the sky in Ranma's opinion._

_ "You know, your kind of cute when you smile." He said and she blushed slightly._

The next thing he remembered was standing with the rest of the children in a large group waiting for the man everyone called 'Santa', who apparently brought gifts to all the children in the world on one day of the year. All around them short people with pointed ears, apparently called elves, cheered as a set of massive doors opened and out came more elves carrying two long ropes adorned with bells. They paused several times and shook them vigorously, to the excitement of those around him. He frowned, what was so exciting about bells that made no sound?

Finally they elves walked down the pathway and up onto a stage where eight reindeer and a sleigh waited. They attached the ropes to the harnesses worn by the reindeer before scurrying away into the crowd of elves.

"LOOK! IT'S SANTA!" Shouted one of the other kids suddenly. He was jumping and pointing towards the door where a large dark outline was silhouetted against the brightness of the interior. He walked forward, towering above the elves around him. The further he got from the door the clearer he became.

The Man was large, easily taller, and fatter, then any man Ranma knew, even his father. He wore a large red coat, pants and a floppy red pointed hat. All other them were lined with white fur brighter then the snow. A thick mane of white hair and a bushy beard were complimented by the cherry red of his cheeks. He walked through the crowd until he stood before the group of children.

He raised his hands and silence descended on the brightly lit square. "It is time." He said in a voice that boomed out, jolly and rich, across the entire square. "It is time for the first gift of Christmas to be given." He looked at the children, happiness dancing in his eyes. His eyes swept across them until they settled on Ranma. "You there, come forwards child." He said, pointing towards Ranma.

Hesitantly he walked forward through the crowd to the big man. This was Santa? Well considering everything else he'd seen that night, he could believe it. As he thought that a soft tinkling sound reached his ears and he looked over at the reindeer. They leapt slightly and the bells shook, giving off the tinkling sound, which was getting louder the more he thought about it.

"Come, sitting in my sleigh." The Old Man said, leading him up onto the stage and into the sleigh. The Old Man looked down at him over crescent moon spectacles. "Now, what do you want for Christmas? Name one thing." He asked.

"Um…" Ranma hesitated. What did he want? Knowledge, power, money? No… The Tinkling of a bell reached him. He looked over at the reindeer and knew what he wanted. He looked up at the Old Man's face. "A bell. I want one of your bells." He said firmly, with no hesitation.

"A bell? Are you sure?" Santa asked, eyes tinkling with amusement and a jolly smile on his face.

"Yes." Ranma said firmly.

"Then a Bell you shall have." He proclaimed and an Elf cut a bell from the reindeer's harness. Santa took the bell and pressed it into Ranma's hand. "Only those who believe can hear this bells sound." He said quietly, "Only those who continue to believe in me shall hear it. Keep it close young Ranma, and may you have a merry Christmas." He lifted Ranma from the sleigh and placed him on the stage. "Now join your friends." He instructed as he picked up the reigns and gripped a whip in one hand.

Ranma stepped back as Saint Nick raised the whip and swung. With a loud crack it thundered above the reindeer. "NOW DASHER! NOW DANCER!" He shouted as the sleigh began to hover. "NOW PRANCER AND VIXEN!" The reindeer leapt forward with a lurch and pulled the sleigh into the sky. "ON COMET! ON CUPID! ON DONNER AND BLITZEN!" The sleigh circled the square once before flying off towards the south. "MERY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!" With that a multicoloured glow engulfed his sleigh and he sped off out of sight.

Ranma smiled and looked down at the bell. He clasped it tightly and looked back up into the sky. Even if this was just a dream, it was the best dream he'd ever had. A hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his head. He turned. It was the girl from earlier, Akane.

"Come on. It's time to go." She said pulling him off the stage towards the train that had arrived without his noticing.

"Hey I can walk on my own!" He complained with a small smile.

--Six years later, China--

Ranma stood outside the tent in the cool night air. The soft snoring of his father could be heard from the tent. He didn't care about that though as he looked up into the sky. It was just passed midnight, the early hours of Christmas day. He held a clasped hand to his chest as he watched intently for a sight he had seen every Christmas since that magical night six years earlier.

There, out of the corner of his eye. His head turned and he smiled as the blazing multicolour engulfed sleigh streaked across the night sky to the homes of those who still believed. He looked down at his hand and opened it to reveal the bell he had gotten six years earlier. It was worn and slightly dented, but it still shone a bright silver. He shook it and his smile grew wider as he heard its pure jingle.

His thoughts drifted back to that night, specifically to one person from that night. "I wonder what happened to that girl." He whispered to the night. 'Akane… Yes that was her name. I wonder if she's still as cute as back then.' He thought before turning back to the tent and slipping the bell onto a chain around his neck.

He paused as he heard what sounded like "MERRY CHRISTMAS" echo across the sky. "A merry Christmas to you to, Saint Nick." He whispered before entering his tent.

_**--Author's Note--**_

This originally started as a project for class but then I decided to make it into a fanfic. Once I got permission boom done and an easy bunch of marks. Anyways reviews are extremely welcome. Remember CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. I want to know what I've done wrong to no flames. I will use them to light my families fireplace if you do flame me. Oh and I'll set the Kyuubi loose on you. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good read.


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